Tuesday

discipleship reproduction
Who Are We Making Disciples Of?
Go to your local christian bookstore or get online at your favorite christian book retailer and it won't take long to find a book or a curriculum about discipleship.  There may not be quite as many discipleship products as there are church growth products, but there are still plenty out there.  I think that having a good book on discipleship or having a good curriculum if you are teaching on discipleship are good things.  I have a couple of books on my shelf that I turn to now and again to remind me of discipleship concepts that otherwise I might forget.  These tools are not, however, the most important thing when it come to making disciples.  Not even close.  I think one of the most important things to understand when it comes to making disciples (and we are all called to make disciples, remember Matthew 28:19-20?) is what I call the principle of reproduction.  It is very simple and very important to always remember.

You reproduce what you are.

No amount of training, books, or curriculum is going to change this simple concept.  You will always reproduce what you are.  What does that mean for us as individuals and churches as we seek to carry out the Great Commision?

As individuals it means that if we want to make disciples of Jesus Christ we have to be disciples of Jesus Christ.  We can't be disciples of John Piper or Matt Chandler or Mars Hill church.  We have to be fully devoted to Christ and His Word alone.

As churches that means in order to make disciples of Christ we must have disciples of Christ leading our ministries.  We must be good at equipping and finding mature, devoted followers of Christ to lead our ministries.  No amount of programming, curriculum, or planning will allow us to overcome the principle of reproduction.  

We reproduce what we are?  We are reproducing something, both individually and as churches.  We are making disciples both individually and as churches.  

Who are we making disciples of?  Who are we reproducing in others? Ourselves?  A pastor we admire? A church we really like?

Or are we making disciples of Jesus.
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I married my beautiful bride Katherine back in May of 1998. Since then, we have been blessed with 4 wonderful kids (three girls and a boy). We have lived here in Rome since 1993 when Katherine and I met as freshmen at Berry College. I teach Math at one of the elementary schools here in town. Thanks for stopping by.

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